Lighting fixture



Feb. 24, 1931.

w. SYMMES L-IGHTING FIXTURE Fil ed June 8, 1928 INVENTOR.

QITTORNEY.

. Patented Feb. 24, 1931 UNITED- ST TES PATENT OFFICE wmmm SYKIES, OFSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB TO ANSON S. BLAKE,

OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA LIGHTING- FIXTURE Application filed June 8,1928. Serial No 288,849. i

reflected upward again for illumination of the exterior of the fixturebody, which otherwise would appear dark, and less attractive. One objectof my'invention is to provide a lighting fixture having a body screen ofpleasing form which can be more cheaply manufactured than those now inuse, by cutting from sheet metal, and joining by soldering, brazing orspot welding instead of spinning to form, which is expensive, andprohibitive in cost for fixtures of large size.

Another object of my invention is to provide a lighting fixture havingabody screen which can be made in a variety of designs by cutting fromsheet metal, and soldering,

, brazing, or welding to form, instead. of by stamping, which requiresexpensive dies, and thereby limits the variety of designs that-can beprofitably produced.

Still another object of my inventionis to provide a lighting' 'fixturehaving an indirectly illuminated body screen of pleasing form whichcanbe made from sheet material in plane surfaces or surfaces bent inonly one direction so that the same may be conveniently and economicallydecorated in colors by means of stencils, cut from sheet material andapplied or similarly bent, or by means of flat castings or castings bentin only one 7 direction. 7

Still another object of my invention is to provide a more convenientmethod of assemamount of illumination without streaks or shadows byprojecting the direct rays of light uniformly against the ceiling andside walls of a room as far down as a horizontal plane passing throughthe lamp, thus securing an effective illumination of the upper portionof theroom and preventing the direct rays from coming lower down andbeing seen by a person standing in the room, and by illuminating thelower portionof the room by diffusion to a maximum degree so as tosecure a uniform blending of the portions of light at the line ofintersection while pre- 1 venting any glare in the eyes of a personstanding up and facing the fixture.

The invention consists of certain novel features of construction;combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described andparticularly pointed out in the appended tit. M d

teaccom an" rawin: Figure 1 is a view in side el vationwith parts brokenaway tomore clearly disclose the invention.

Figure2 is a horizontal. sectional view. A lamp 10, of any suitableconstruction, but preferably of that type having its-stem provided withan enameled covering which extends downwardly to the horizon of the lampfilament, is fitted in a socket 11 having a cover or hood 12, from whichextends a pinrality of downwardly and outwardly flaring hanger rods orarms 13, 13. Supported at thelower ends of these arms 13 is a suspendingband or-ring14. The band 14 is provided I on its inner surface with cars15 for receiving the ends of two of the arms: 13. The

ends of these arms are bent at right angles, as

ears so as to have a' slip-joint connection therewithfor supporting theband .or ring therefrom. The other or remaining arm 13 is provided witha loop oreye 17 into which a screw 18 isreceived, which passes throughthe ring. or band 14.

With this construction the band 14 may be readily removed or applied tothe lamps fix as ture by rotation relatively to the re will be readilyunderstood. The band or ring 14 is preferably located around the base ofthe bulb of the lamp 10, and projects a suitable distance below thelamp. Mounted upon the band 14 and projecting upwardly therefrom is abody screen or reflecting shade 19, which may be of circular, polygonalor other suitable shape in horizontal section, but

which, in accordance with my invention, flares upwardly and outwardlybetween its lower and upper edges along straight lines, that is to say,is not curved in vertical section. This screen or shade is provided withan inner reflecting surface while its outer surface is preferably madenon-reflecting and of such character as to give a pleasing effect. Theobject of the straight line flare of the shield is to cause the directlight rays from the lamp to be projected symmetrically and with auniformity of efi'ulgence against the ceiling and side walls of a roomwithout the streaks and'shadows produced by screens of curved form invertical section. .The flare of the screen or shade may be uniform andcontinuous, but, in the present instance, I

have'shown a unitary double reflecting shade or screen com rising lowerand upper halves or portions aring acutely to diflerent degrees, theupper portion or half to quite a pronounced degree greater than thelower portion or half, so that a wide spread of the light rays isobtained. Both portions of the shade or .screen, however, flare alongstraight lines for the purpose stated. The point of juncture'of theseshade'or screen portions is, as shown, in-a horizontal plane close toand just below the horizon of the lamp filament, so that, with thefixture properly hung, the rays reflected more or less directly upwardand to a certain degree outward by the lower frusto conical shade orscreen portion of smaller size will be so disposed with relation to therays projected upward and to a greater degree outwardby the upper frustoconical shade or screen portion of larger size that a uniformdistribution of the direct rays against the ceiling and downupon theside walls to a level corresponding to the horizontal plane of the lampwill be obtained. While this-double frustoconical form of the shade orscreen is preferred and is of great advantage in fixtures for use inmedium and lar e sized rooms, I desire it understood that I 0 not limitthe-invention thereto, as a frusto conical shade or screen body ofuniform flare may be used without loss of .efliciency, particularly infixtures for rooms of the smaller sizes, It is essential to myinvention, however, whether the body consist of a single cone frustum orof two cone frus turns, that its walls flare upwardly and out wardly onstraight lines in order to "secure the uniform distribution of thedirect rays, without streaks or shadows, as hereinbefore set forth. 1 v

Supported from theshade or screen 19 and band 14 is a translucent lighttransmitting .member 20. The member 20 is preferably made in the formofa shallow'bowlhaving '14, and the screen 19. Screws 21, 21 passthrough the lower edges of the band or ring 14 and reflector 19 andengage the channeled neck or mouth of the reflector 20, for removablysupporting it in poistion. This translucent member 20, by reason of itsshallow form, will allow diffusion of a maximum amount of light from thelamp toward the floor for the purpose of illuminating the lower portionof the room without causing glare of the light into the eyes of a personstanding in the room and looking toward the fixture. At the same timethe shallow member 20 reflects the light upward into the body screen toreduce absor tion losses and secure a higher degree 0t direct rayillumination in the upper part of the room. As the member is of greaterdiameter than the base of the reflecting shade or screen the lightrays-emanating from its peripherally projecting portion will strike theouter surface of the shade or screen and illuminate the same in apleasing manner and prevent the exterior of the an annular skirtingshield or band 22 isarranged about the member 20 and supported from thering or band 14 by arms 23 engaging the screws 21. This band may be ofornamental type to give a pleasing marginal appearance about the marginof thebowl 20 and, when thefixture is hung low, will shield from thelight the eyes of a person standing up and looking directly toward therim of-the bowl.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides a novelform and arrangement of reflecting shade or screen for direct:

llO

ing the direct light rays uniformly, and without streaks or shadows,against the ceiling and upper portions of the side walls of a room downto the horizontal'plane of the lamp, and diffusing light downwardlythrough a bowl of novel type, so as to obtain maximum illuminationwithout glare or other faults, while at the same time giving anattractive illumination of the ,fixture itself. By flaring thereflecting shade or screen on straight lines other advantages aregained, in that such,

shape of the screen adapts it to be made by cutting from sheet metal andsoldering, brazmg or welding to form, instead of by spinning to formwhich is expensive and prohibitive in cost for of larg esiie, bit stampweaves ing which requiresexpensive dies an thereby a limits the varietyof designs that can be profitably roduced. Moreover, such shape of thesha e or' screen readily permits of its exterior ornamentation in,colors by stenciling, allowing such ornamentation to be inexpensivelycarried out.

Having thus described my invention, I

7 claim 1. In a fighting fixture, the eombinati'oii,

- with a lamp havmg an upper stem portion and a lower bulb portion, thelatter contain ing a filament, of a frusto-conical reflecting shadesurrounding the bulb of the lamp for v rays of hght in an upward andoutand top upwardly and outwardlyon straight ward direction, said shadeextending above and below the horizon of the filament and having itswalls inclined between its bottom and top upwardly and outwardly onstraight lines, and a difi'usingmember at the base of the reflectingshade, said diffusing member being of greater diameter than vthe bottomof e shade and projecting marginally beneath the outer surface of thelower portion ofthe inclined wall-of the shade so as to illaminate saidsurface.

2. In a lighting fixture, the combination, with a lamp havmg an upperstem portion and a lower bulb portion, the latter containing a filament,of a frusto-conical reflecting shade surrounding the bulb of the lampfor directing rays of light in an upward and outward direction, saidshade extending above and below the horizon of the filament and havingits walls inclined between its bottom and a difiusing bowl having a neckportion secured within the base of the shade, said bowl being ofgreaterdiameter than the base .of the shade and extending marginallybe-' yond the same and beneath the outer surface of the lower portion ofthe inclined wall of the shade so as to illuminate said surface.

3. In a lighting fixture, the combination, with a lamp aving an upperstem portion and a lower bulb portlon, the latter containing a filament,of a-frusto-conical reflecting shade.

surroundin he bulbof the lamp for directing rays ofight in an upward andoutward direction,=said' shade extending above and' below the horizon ofthe filament and having its walls inclined between its bottom and topupwardly and outwardly on straight lines, a

ght difi'using member arranged at the baseof the shade and dprojectingmarginally be-- beneath the outer surface 1 zontal rays therefrom andterminating at its upper edge in a plane adjacent to the upper surfaceofthe projecting margin of the dif-,

fusing member to form a tin hght rays therefrom to shine upon saidsurface of the shade. a

4; In a lighting fixture, the combination, with a lamp havmg an upperstem portion and a lower bulb portion, the latter containing a filament,of a frusto+conical reflecting shade surroundin the bulb of thelamp fordirectin rays 70f light in an upward and outwar' direction, said shadeextending above and below the horizon of the filament and havin itswalls inclined between its bottom an top upwaralllg and outwurdly'onstraight lines, a light using bowl having a neck portion secured withinthe base of the shade and a body portion rojecting marginally beyond thesides of t e base portion of the shade and beneath the outer surface ofthe lower portion of the inclined walls of the shade so as to illuminatethe same, and an annular shield surrounding the body portion of the bowlfor interceptinghorizontal rays passage for permittherefrom, said shieldhaving its upper edge I direction, said shade; extending above and belowthe horizon of the filament and having its wallsinclined betw'eenits-bottom and top upwardly and outwardly on straight lines, a

supportmg ring'arranged within the base of the shade, snpportingmeansfor the shade engaging sai ring, a, light difiusin bowl having a neckportion secured within said ring and having a body portion pro ectingmarginal] beyond the sides of the base of the shade an beneath'the outersurface of the lower portion ofthe inclined wall of the shade toilluminate the same, and an annular shield marginally surroundin thebowl and having its upper and lower e ges terminating substantially inthe horizontal-planes of the top and bottom surfaces of the bowl, thesaid upper edge of the shield being spaced from the base of the shade topermit of the upward passage-of light from the margin of the bowl.

6. n a lighting-fixture, the combination, with a lamp havmg a stemportion vand a bulb portion, the latter containing a filament,

ing the bulb portion of the lamp and extending above and below thehorizon of the filament and having a lower frusto-conical portion whosewalls are inclined on straight lines at a certain upward and outwardangle and an upper. frusto-conical portion whose waHs incline onstraight lines at a greater u wardand outward an 1e, and a light diusing member arrange at the base of the lower of a unitary doublereflecting shade surroundfrusto-conical portionof the shade andprojecting marginally beyond the same to cause light rays therefrom toilluminate the outer surface of said lower portion ofthe shade.

7. In a lighting fixture, the combination, with a lamp having a stemportion and a bulb .portion, thelatter containing a filament, of

a unitary double reflecting shade surrounding the bulb portion of thelamp and extending above and below the horizon of the filamentand havinga lower frusto-conical portion whose walls are inclined on straightlines at a certain upward and outward angle and an upper frusto-conicalportion whose walls incline on straight'lines at a greater upward andoutward augle, a light diffusing member at the base of the lower portionof the shade and projecting marginally beyond the outer surthe bulbportion of the lamp and extending above and below the horizon of thefilament and having a lower frusto-conical portion whose walls areinclined on straight lines at a certain upward and outward angle and anupper frusto-conical portion whose walls incline on straight lines at agreater upward and outward angle, and a light diffusing bowl having aneck portion secured within the base of the lower frusto-conical portionof the shade and having a body portion projecting marginally beyond thebase of said lower portion of the shade for the upward passage of lightrays to illuminate'the outer surface of such portion of the shade.

9. In a lighting fixture, the combination with a lamp having astemportion and a bulb portion, the lat er containing a filament, of aunitarymlouble reflecting shade surrounding the bulb portion of the lampand extending above and below the horizon of the filal'nent and having alower frusto-conical portion whose walls are inclined on straight linesat a certain upward and outward angle and. an upper frustro-conicalporiion whose walls incline on straight lines at a greater upward andoutward angle, a light diffusing bowl having a neck portionseeuredwithin the base of said frustro-conical lower portion of the shade andhaving a body portion projecting marginally beyond the outer surfaces ofthe inclined walls of such portion of the shade to illumiprevent thehorizontal passage of light rays I therefrom and having'its upper edgeterminating in proximity to the horizontal plane of the upper surface ofthe projecting marginof the bowl to form a space for the upward passageof light rays therefrom.

10. In a lighting fixture, the combination, with a lamp having a stemportion and a bulb portion, the latter containing a filament, of aunitary double reflecing shade surrounding the bulb portion of the lampand extending above and below the horizon of the filament and having alower frusto-conical portion whose walls are inclined on straight linesat a certain upward and outward angle and an upper frusto-coniealportion whose walls incline on s raight lines at a greater upward andoutward angle, a supporting ring disposed within the base of the lower'frustoconical portion ofthe shade, fixture supporting means secured tosaid ring, a lamp diffusing bowl supported by the ring at the base ofsaid lower portion ofthe shade and projecting marginally beyond theouter surface of the inclined wall of said portion of the shade toilluminate the same, andan annular shield surrounding the bowl tointereept and prevent the horizontal passage of light rays therefrom andterminating at its upper edge adjacent to the upper surface of theprojecting margin of the bowl to form a space for the upward passage. oflight therefrom.

11. In a lighting fixture, the combination with a lamp supportingmember, and a lamp supported thereby, of a plurality of arms extendingfrom'said supporting member, a

hollow shade member surrounding said lamp and screening a portion of itfrom view, said shade member haviuga rotary slip-joint interlockingconnection with cer-l ain of said arms and a detachable fasteningconnection with another of said arms, and a light transmitting anddiffusing member supportedat the base of said shade member.

12. In a lighting fixture, the combination with a lamp supportingmember, and a lamp supported thereby, of a plurality of arms extendingfrom said supporting member, a

hollow shade member surrounding said lamp and screening a portion of itfrom View, said shade member and-arms having interengag ing elements toremovably support the shade member on the arms, said interengagingelements being engageable and disengageable i by relative rotarymovement between said shade member and said arms.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WHITMAN SYMMES.

